TULSA — Tulsa Mayor G.T. Bynum is on a 24-hour tour of Tulsa to celebrate 918 Day. He is making 35 stops total.
Despite the long day, Bynum says he doesn’t get tired.
“Folks kept asking me last year, ‘Are you tired yet, are you tired yet?," he said. “Never did get tired because every stop I go to, I’m learning about really interesting things that are happening in our city and the people that are making it happen.”
One of the mayor’s 35 stops for 918 Day was the historic Vernon AME Church in Greenwood. Founded in 1905, the church played a major role in the Tulsa Race Massacre. People lived in the basement after their homes and businesses were destroyed.
“Our basement that was built in 1919 is the last surviving edifice we have in Greenwood from Black Wall Street,” said Robert Turner, Reverend Vernon AME Church. “Our sanctuary was built literally by the survivors of the massacre of 1921.”
Bynum also took a tour of The Outsider’s House and Museum. The garage was recently turned into a gift shop and hold additional movie memorabilia.
Bynum said he wanted to use this year’s 918 Day to highlight the things he wants to bring attention to in the city.
“Whether it’s coming here to Vernon AME, going out see the Better Way Program, things like that are important for Tulsans to understand strides that are being made in our community on very challenging issues,” Bynum said.
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